CONCERTINA WORKSHOP

Description

Liam O’Brien – Concertina

The older I get the more I appreciate how lucky I am to have grown up in such a musical family and area. Starting off learning tin whistle at the age of four I sat into my mother’s classes like any other child from the locality. Musicians came and went to my home back in Glendine, Miltown Malbay and I was happy out to play with them but back then I was just as excited to be out kicking ball straight after! People like Paddy Canny, Joe Ryan, Tommy McCarthy, Kitty Hayes and my grand-uncle J.C. Talty were frequent visitors to my home. After getting a concertina for my tenth birthday I attended Noel Hill’s classes for many years. My highlight every year was attending the Scoil Samhraidh Willie Clancy as a student. Now I’m a teacher there myself!!

At the age of sixteen I started teaching concertina with Mam’s music school, Ceol na nÓg. After finishing my BA in Irish Music & Dance in the University of Limerick, I decided to make a career out of teaching. Teaching with Music Generation, Ceol na nÓg, online at OAIM (www.oaim.ie) and other various schools around the county have fortunately allowed me to make a career from it.